‘Tis the time of year where we have parties, shopping, concerts, and family visits. Christmastime can put our already busy schedules into overdrive. It is important to our family that we dedicate time to slowing down and being intentional amidst the chaos. While we love the excitement of the Christmas rush, taking the time to connect and share our values with our children in the quiet and calm of flickering candles is the most meaningful part of our holiday season.
The Advent Tradition
One of our favorite annual traditions is celebrating Advent together. When most people think of Advent, they picture calendars with chocolates in them that help children count down to Christmas. However, Advent is also an important season of the Christian calendar. In our household, we celebrate the season of Advent in two ways: activity-based and faith-based.
Activity-Based Advent Calendar
Each year we hang up an Advent calendar that belonged to my husband’s grandmother and is a favorite memory from his childhood. Each day, one of our children moves a little stuffed mouse through the calendar pockets to count down the days until Christmas. We add to the excitement by putting a little wooden coin in each pocket with a fun activity written on it. This is a way for us to incorporate my husband’s holiday memories and remember to pace ourselves with fun Christmas activities.
Here are some items that can help you start your own Advent calendar:
Possible Coin Activities:
- Pick out a Christmas tree
- Decorate the Christmas tree
- Decorate the house
- Look at Christmas lights
- Watch a Christmas movie
- Drink peppermint hot cocoa
- Sing Christmas songs
- Play Christmas charades
- Make a bird feeder
- Go to a Christmas parade
- Make a Christmas ornament
- Take a walk around the village
- Go to a Christmas party
- Make a gingerbread house
- Make a paper chain
- Donate a gift
- Make Christmas cookies
- Make a popcorn garland
- Do a Christmas manicure
- Write a thank you note to the mail carrier
- Make pomanders
- Make paper snowflakes
- Make a Christmas card for someone
- Look at the Christmas cards together
- Read the Nativity story
Faith-Based Advent Tradition
Our other Advent tradition honors our belief in Christianity. According to the Liturgical (Christian) Calendar, The Christian New Year falls four Sundays before Christmas. Many churches that follow the liturgy celebrate the beginning of the Christian year by looking forward to the coming of Christ.
Traditionally, churches that follow the liturgical calendar, and some others, celebrate Advent during their Sunday morning services. There is usually a reading from the Bible about the anticipation of the birth of Christ and a hymn. A wreath sits flat on a table or in front with four candles representing hope, love, joy, and peace. Each week a person or family lights a new candle. On Christmas Eve (or day) some churches light the middle Christ Candle representing purity.
Our family incorporates two traditions; the Jesse Tree which helps us focus on the promises that God fulfilled by sending Jesus to live with us, and the Advent wreath that helps us look to the future with hope that God will continue to keep the promises in the Bible.
Advent Wreath
Throughout this season a wreath with five candles sits in the center of our dining room table. As a family, we gather every night before bed under the light of our Christmas tree. Following the example of our church tradition, we light our candles and meditate on the hope, love, joy, and peace we have as we look forward to God continuing to fulfill his promises to us.
Here are some items that can help you start your own Advent wreath:
- Advent Wreath Candle Holder
- Advent Candles
- Unscented White Pillar Candle
- Candle Snuffer
- The Advent Wreath: Blessings and Prayers for Families
The Jesse Tree
The Jesse Tree is a set of daily readings that go through biblical history to show how the scriptures point to Jesus’ birth. We read passages from the Old Testament including creation, Noah’s ark, King David, and Esther, and eventually read about Mary and the Nativity. There is no traditional set of stories that must be read, so sources vary on which passages they feature.
We end our nightly family time together with a prayer. Then our daughters take turns snuffing out the candles and hanging a homemade ornament, representing the story we read, on the Christmas tree.
Here are some items that can help you start your own Jesse Tree:
Traditions in Your Family
No matter your family’s beliefs or faith practices, creating traditions is a great way to connect with your children. Traditions allow us to create memories, share our values, and give them something to cling to as they grow into adults. Our traditions, while they may feel like another thing to do, are a part of the legacy of our motherhoods. I hope that you also enjoy creating traditions that reflect what is most important to your family.
